McCain Wins Florida

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) greets his supporters at his Florida primary election night rally in Miami, January 29, 2008. REUTERSr

By Chris Cillizza
Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) appears to have won a crucial victory over former governor Mitt Romney in Florida, according to projections made by the Associated Press and CNN. Earlier in the night, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) won a largely symbolic primary victory in Florida.

With 54 percent of the vote on the Republican side counted, McCain led Romney, 35 percent to 32 percent. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who had staked his entire campaign on a strong showing in Florida, trailed with 15 percent. Former governor Mike Huckabee (Ark.) ran fourth with 13 percent.

The outcome spelled serious trouble for Giuliani, who had predicted in the closing days of the race that the winner of the Florida vote would go on to win the Republican nomination, and signaling that if he didn't live up to his own lofty expectations in Florida he would have to re-consider the race.